Plumbing Tips For Homeowners - Advice for Do It Yourself Plumbers

You’ve got a plumbing task you need done for your home or your business. Who do you call? You can have a local handyman on the job. Or you might break out that toolkit of wrenches. After all, why not save some money this way rather than go with a licensed plumber?

We need to stop you right there—it’s vital you only hire a licensed professional plumber for any job more complicated than using a plunger on a clog or cleaning aerators in faucets. Going with non-licensed plumbers can result in serious consequences.

But Can’t a Non-Licensed Plumber Do These Jobs Just As Well?

Yes, it’s possible. Technically, licensing doesn’t prohibit an amateur from doing work on plumbing—with the exception of sanitation systems connected to the public system. You can always try to do a plumbing job yourself, after all. But you never want to trust these jobs to non-licensed amateurs, and that includes you. A plumber with a license is a plumber who can handle work responsibly, accurately, and safely, as well as protect you from incurring high costs associated with bad plumbing work and even damage or injuries.

So, can a non-licensed plumber do a good job? Maybe. But never take that chance!

What Does a Plumbing License Mean?

A plumber doesn’t get a license by showing up at a government office, showing valid ID, and then signing a few forms. Being issued a license requires a plumber to meet strict qualifications.

Technical Proficiency: A plumber who receives a license must be able to show they are knowledgeable and skilled at meeting the local plumbing codes and any work they perform will meet those codes.

Responsibility: A licensed plumber must show they understand the importance of completing work safely and to protect the health of people in a home or business. The plumber must understand all safety rules and regulations. This is especially important regarding work on sanitation systems such as sewer lines.

Insurance: A plumber must have the proper insurance to protect a homeowner or business owner in case of any damages or injuries that may occur during a job.

We want to draw attention to the last point, because its importance is sometimes overlooked. If you have an unlicensed plumber come onto your property, you could be liable for damage done to your home or business or liable for injuries to the plumber in case of accidents. Home or business insurance often won’t cover this! A licensed plumber has the proper amount of insurance (as required by the state) to see you are not liable for anything that isn’t your fault during plumbing service.

When you are looking for a plumber in Winter Park, FL who is fully licensed and insured, you do have many options. But when you call us, you’ll get one of the best plumbers around for the job. Our plumbers are not only skilled and experienced, but they take pride in everything they do. They aim to get each job done right the first time and forge lasting relationships with customers through trust.

Need a great professional plumber? You’ve found one! Modern Plumbing – 4Plumbers, Inc. has proudly served Central Florida since 1975.

Leaks in the plumbing can range from a nuisance to an emergency. But they have one thing in common: they can’t simply be left alone. A leak doesn’t fix itself, and even the smallest pinhole leak not only wastes water, it creates building damage and allows for mold and mildew to build up.

But do you really need a professional plumber to detect leaks in your house? If you think of each leak as a massive, catastrophic one that’s sending water directly into your home, it sounds a bit silly that you’d need a professional to say, “Hey, there’s a leak there!”

However, even with leaks you can immediately see, it’s necessary to get a plumber to track down the specific place to fix it and to see if there are other leaks. And, in the case of the majority of leaks you can’t see, you’ll absolutely need a plumber.

The Professional Leak Detection Job

What does a professional plumber bring to this job? It’s a combination of training and tools. Professional plumbers are experienced with detecting the signs of leaks that can quickly lead to them narrowing down the area where the leaks are occurring. Once the plumbers have done that, they use advanced technology to pinpoint the leaks so they can handle repairs with the least amount of disruption possible to your home.

Some of the tools a plumber may use:

Video pipe inspection cameras that can be sent down into the plumbing. The camera sends back images of the inside of the pipes to monitors, allowing the plumber to find exactly where the leaks are.

Acoustic listening discs that can pick up the sound of water escaping from a pipe—even through a concrete slab.

Thermal scanners that detect temperature changes due to water leaving a pipe.

Knowing When You Need Leak Detection

The huge leak you can see isn’t as common as smaller ones you can’t see. But how will you know they’re there? Watch for warning signs such as these:

An unexpected rise in your water usage. If you water bills spikes but you know you have increased the amount of water you use, it might be a leak.

Spots of discoloration on the walls or ceilings. These usually indicate water pooling from a leak that’s causing damage to the drywall.

The development of mold or mildew in unusual spots.

The water heater turning on and off at strange times, which can mean a leak in a hot water line.

Regular Leak Detection

However, you don’t need to see any signs of leaks to decide to arrange for leak detection. We recommend any house has this service done every couple of years to help prevent bigger leaks and to get a jump on the situation. Many homes can have hidden leaks continue for years before they show outward signs. The only way to know it’s happening and stop the water waste and hidden damage is to let professionals do leak detection.

You can trust us as your Sanford, FL plumber when you need leaks found and fixed. We’re licensed professionals and have 24/7 emergency service.

The low-flow plumbing installation, also known as a water-efficient plumbing fixture, is something we recommend all homeowners give serious consideration to. Whether you live in an older or newer home, there are ways you can benefit from a low-flow toilet, showerhead, or faucet someplace in the house—and probably in many places!

But it isn’t as simple as buying a faucet on your own and putting it in. You’ll need the assistance of experts to handle these plumbing installation services in Orlando, FL. Our team of plumbers are pledged to providing quality, performance, and value on each job, and they’ll find the best way to outfit your home with water-efficient plumbing fixtures. We offer free estimates.

These Installations Do Make a Difference

Reducing water consumption is not only good for your home and budget, it’s good for the planet. So all the advantages we list here apply on a personal, local, and global scale. For example, if every home in the US installed low-flow showerheads, it would mean savings of 260 billion gallons of water annually.

We’ll start with the fixture that benefits the most from the low-flow model, which is the toilet. The toilet accounts for 40% of indoor water use, the largest percentage of any appliance. Even a small reduction in the gallons per flush of a bathroom toilet will have an impact on overall water use. Older toilets (more than 20 years old) may use 5 to 6 gallons per flush. Newer toilets may use around 3. But a low-flow toilet uses 1.28 gallons per average—and that’s a huge change. Look for the WaterSense label on toilets to find one that will conserve the most water. With this type of toilet, your family could save more than $ 2,200 over the lifetime of the unit.

Showers are another place where you consume a large amount of fresh water, approximately 17% of indoor water use. A standard showerhead uses 2.5 gallons per minute. A low-flow model, in order to earn the WaterSense label, must use under 2 gallons per minute. The average family will end up saving 2,900 gallons per year if all the showerheads are replaced with WaterSense-approved units. But there’s more to this than saving water—low-flow showerheads reduce the amount of hot water used in the house, and this reduces the energy use for the water heater. A family can save enough energy using a low-flow showerhead to power a house for 13 days straight.

What about faucets? The standard bathroom sink faucet has a flow rate of 2.2 gallons, and a low-flow faucet reduces that by 30%. The cumulative savings from making this switch can add up to 700 gallons per year, which is enough for 40 showers worth of water. As with the showerheads, a low-flow faucet also helps save energy with lower demand for hot water.

You can see the options available to you and the difference they can make. Get started today with making your home into a water sensible one—and one that saves you money each day, month, and year.

Schedule an appointment to learn more about going low-flow with your home’s plumbing. Modern Plumbing – 4Plumbers, Inc. has proudly served Central Florida since 1975.